Oh noes teh sky is falling!

[Blu-dock Saint]

This has been going on for years now with movies, it hasn't really hindered things one way or another. Electronic sell through is still at an all time low, people tend to still purchase physical copies if they want movies. The only thing that affects sales are people using netflix and renting digital movies. The studios have acknowledged the issue of electronic sell through many times now and how it makes up such a small margin of income.

The only reason digital rentals is picking up is because there's no video stores anymore except for some Family Videos, and these are people that usually didn't purchase discs to begin with. What's even more entertaining is Netflix's business still has almost 50% of their income coming from disc rental options with their service. I still wouldn't worry about physical media disappearing anytime soon, especially with all these new lovely data caps companies keep adding.

Edit*: I forgot to mention redbox is still doing very well with their disc rental kiosks as well.

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by bluearth

Mr. Peabody and Sherman bluray disc is coming 3 weeks after its available on digital services?!

Just one more reason for me not to support digital.

They want to kill off physical content so they can control everything digitally. Want to watch a movie? Better make sure you have a 10 digit key. What utter crap. Studios can survive just fine with piracy, they just want a cut of that piracy pie at the expense of those who are honest.

Don't be paranoid - this probably has more to do with manufacturing and shipping time of the BD/DVD than anything else. And your comment about piracy makes no sense whatsoever.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

Don't be paranoid - this probably has more to do with manufacturing and shipping time of the BD/DVD than anything else. And your comment about piracy makes no sense whatsoever.

He is correct. This will become more common over the next couple of years. Digital exclusives weeks before the bluray.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by bluearth

Mr. Peabody and Sherman bluray disc is coming 3 weeks after its available on digital services?!

Just one more reason for me not to support digital.

They want to kill off physical content so they can control everything digitally. Want to watch a movie? Better make sure you have a 10 digit key. What utter crap. Studios can survive just fine with piracy, they just want a cut of that piracy pie at the expense of those who are honest.

Ok...someone please try to make me understand what this means?

[mrr1]

He means that studios are rushing out their own digital versions to combat unauthorized downloading/copying, yet they are forcing people who honestly want to buy a physical copy to wait.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by mrr1

He means that studios are rushing out their own digital versions to combat unauthorized downloading/copying, yet they are forcing people who honestly want to buy a physical copy to wait.

I don't buy into that for a second. People who habitually pirate media are not going to pay for it.

[guidofistpimp]

If studios where trying to end physical media it would be ended today plain and simple, streaming is nothing more than an added revenue stream not a substitution.

1. DVD's still sell a sh*t ton
2. No price parity
3. Datacaps
4. Inferior quality

Both can exist without all this doom and gloom

[octagon]

Originally Posted by bluearth

Mr. Peabody and Sherman bluray disc is coming 3 weeks after its available on digital services?!

The gap between theatrical premieres and home theater releases are ridiculously short [insert 'back in the day' story here] so really, what's another week or three?

[Chiefy]

In the past, I've acquired movies and music in less than honest ways, but I've ALWAYS bought retail copies of what I liked after watching or listening to them. I won't settle for inferior copies. Everything else I didn't like got deleted, or tossed in the garbage. It gave me a great chance to discover new stuff, and a great opportunity for the studios to make future income from stuff I never would have bought otherwise. Win Win

The way I see it, it was a way of Sampling prior to purchase. Now that I’m older and have more dispensable income, it’s pretty much a moot point, and quite frankly, just not worth the hassle to me. We also have many more options now with Netflix, VUDU, Redbox, etc., and there’s always your local library.

I do not promote piracy for ones own gain or profit

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by bluearth

Mr. Peabody and Sherman bluray disc is coming 3 weeks after its available on digital services?!

Just one more reason for me not to support digital.

They want to kill off physical content so they can control everything digitally. Want to watch a movie? Better make sure you have a 10 digit key. What utter crap. Studios can survive just fine with piracy, they just want a cut of that piracy pie at the expense of those who are honest.

Feel better now?

[Petra_Kalbrain]

I'll still participate though in telling everyone that I want streaming to buuuuuurn! It's success will only lead to taking away the best quality version of my entertainment. I don't even bother with digital copies that come with Blu-rays. I DESTROY the code without ever redeeming it. I don't want studios thinking that digital is, in ANY way, an interest of mine for the present OR the future.

[alvarez468]

Originally Posted by Chiefy

In the past, I've acquired movies and music in less than honest ways, but I've ALWAYS bought retail copies of what I liked after watching or listening to them. I won't settle for inferior copies. Everything else I didn't like got deleted, or tossed in the garbage. It gave me a great chance to discover new stuff, and a great opportunity for the studios to make future income from stuff I never would have bought otherwise. Win Win

The way I see it, it was a way of Sampling prior to purchase. Now that I’m older and have more dispensable income, it’s pretty much a moot point, and quite frankly, just not worth the hassle to me. We also have many more options now with Netflix, VUDU, Redbox, etc., and there’s always your local library.

I do not promote piracy for ones own gain or profit

+1 in highschool i was the same way. But as yourself I now have extra cash and a steady job. I buy all my music movies and anime legally. Now I can't settle for anything other than HQ content.

[OI8T12]

Originally Posted by Petra_Kalbrain

I'll still participate though in telling everyone that I want streaming to buuuuuurn! It's success will only lead to taking away the best quality version of my entertainment. I don't even bother with digital copies that come with Blu-rays. I DESTROY the code without ever redeeming it. I don't want studios thinking that digital is, in ANY way, an interest of mine for the present OR the future.

Why destroy the digital copy? Why not give it away, or sell it and make some money?

[KRW1]

Originally Posted by guidofistpimp

If studios where trying to end physical media it would be ended today plain and simple, streaming is nothing more than an added revenue stream not a substitution.

1. DVD's still sell a sh*t ton
2. No price parity
3. Datacaps
4. Inferior quality

Both can exist without all this doom and gloom

I came into say exactly this. It's just additional revenue. I got bombarded daily with tweets asking me to download the Lego Movie before the bluray release but I didn't and will never. If studios did want to kill them off, they would overnight. They won't, however, because they like money.

Talking to mate yesterday. His parents live just outside a major UK city. They have pitiful internet. It takes them 12 hours to download the equivalent of a 21 minute comedy. As long as the studios want to make money from people like this, there'll be discs.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Petra_Kalbrain

I'll still participate though in telling everyone that I want streaming to buuuuuurn! It's success will only lead to taking away the best quality version of my entertainment. I don't even bother with digital copies that come with Blu-rays. I DESTROY the code without ever redeeming it. I don't want studios thinking that digital is, in ANY way, an interest of mine for the present OR the future.

Agreed 100%

[mredman]

Disc's isn't going away studies is making billions of blu ray and DVD. this thread is useless! there was record sales black friday and christmas weeks, Frozen and Hunger Games 2 superhero movies is breaking records. People that collect wanna "OWN" their favorite movies and tv shows physical instead of a fraking code that could go poof!

[bruceames]

Most people don't realize it, but it's the norm for new release digital movies to be available 2-3 weeks before Blu-ray/DVD. Giving it early windows is an effective way of promoting it and has nothing to do with studios moving away from physical as they just want the overall revenue pie to be as big as possible, no matter what the media. The release date for Blu-ray/DVD is not pushed back, rather the digital release is moved forward.

Besides, it's easy for studios to make the digital version available first. There's nothing to manufacture or distribute. Of course the Blu-ray is the better value since not only is it better quality, with alternate audio/sub options and lots of extras, but you get the digital version as well. So the only selling point for buying the digital at this time (besides of course the convenience of not leaving your couch to purchase and watch it) is having it available before the Blu-ray comes out.

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Originally Posted by OI8T12

Why destroy the digital copy? Why not give it away, or sell it and make some money?

If that digital copy gets redeemed, the studio has a higher ratio conversion on digital to physical media. And that will imply that more people are interested in digital distribution methods. The more people that don't redeem them, the lower that ratio. And the lower that ratio, the more they will focus on continuing physical media as their main source of distribution.

So, destroying the DC keeps that ratio from growing. And, selling them or giving them away makes for a much higher percentage because there are fewer people buying the actual Blu-ray in favour of using the DC. Then, those who keep the DC + those who sell/give it away is 100% interest in DC.

[Thomas Irwin]

Originally Posted by Petra_Kalbrain

If that digital copy gets redeemed, the studio has a higher ratio conversion on digital to physical media. And that will imply that more people are interested in digital distribution methods. The more people that don't redeem them, the lower that ratio. And the lower that ratio, the more they will focus on continuing physical media as their main source of distribution.

So, destroying the DC keeps that ratio from growing. And, selling them or giving them away makes for a much higher percentage because there are fewer people buying the actual Blu-ray in favour of using the DC. Then, those who keep the DC + those who sell/give it away is 100% interest in DC.

I understand your argument - I very much dislike streaming services myself - but in a sense, these enclosed digital copies are already bought and paid for. By buying a combo pack, for instance, you could also make the loose argument that you are still supporting the DVD format. Though not terribly logical that you wouldn't use the superior format when available, it could still be argued that it shows a degree of tacit support. We could all just wait for the often inevitable stripped down version that many bargain retailers carry - though possibly at the expense of critical revenue needed for future releases.
Not everyone can afford - at least not immediately - every release they would like to own. Reedeming the code is free after the purchase of the disc, the studio stands to make no more money on it, whether redeemed or not. Giving it away simply allows someone else to enjoy the film in some manner. And that is what I feel all art should be about in it's purest form, maximum access for maximum enjoyment. I don't feel, myself, that giving away free codes will ultimately be what tips the balance. And I'm still hanging on to the dwindling hope that enough people still value quality and true ownership, that enjoyment of a gifted code will inspire and spur them to make their own future physical purchase.

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Originally Posted by Thomas Irwin

I understand your argument - I very much dislike streaming services myself - but in a sense, these enclosed digital copies are already bought and paid for. By buying a combo pack, for instance, you could also make the loose argument that you are still supporting the DVD format. Though not terribly logical that you wouldn't use the superior format when available, it could still be argued that it shows a degree of tacit support. We could all just wait for the often inevitable stripped down version that many bargain retailers carry - though possibly at the expense of critical revenue needed for future releases.
Not everyone can afford - at least not immediately - every release they would like to own. Reedeming the code is free after the purchase of the disc, the studio stands to make no more money on it, whether redeemed or not. Giving it away simply allows someone else to enjoy the film in some manner. And that is what I feel all art should be about in it's purest form, maximum access for maximum enjoyment. I don't feel, myself, that giving away free codes will ultimately be what tips the balance. And I'm still hanging on to the dwindling hope that enough people still value quality and true ownership, that enjoyment of a gifted code will inspire and spur them to make their own future physical purchase.

The DVDs in combo packs cannot be tracked for actual usage though. Your analogy is one of apples and oranges.

Redeeming a code for a digital copy creates an entry in a database somewhere. That database is sure-as-shit tracking this type of information so that studio/distribution execs can maximize their revenue in the areas that are showing growth and activity. And, that database is not tracking if anybody is actually watching the file. It's just tracking if the code has been redeemed. It is scary how many times I have read comments of the "I just redeem the codes to have them for the future... just in case" variety. Well, guess what? That mentality is going to make the people who make the decisions think that EVERYONE is USING digital content at an alarmingly fast rate. Therefore, they will start shifting their resources to focus more on that medium while taking away from the physical media resources. All the while, consumers will begin using the codes and relying on digital more in fear of the potential impending death of physical media... supporting a transition that not nearly as many people want as is reflected in the database statistics. This will occur until it just isn't worth it to invest their resources in physical media anymore.

Yes, I admit that this is all speculation on my part. I have no way of predicting the future. However, the logic is sound and understanding how these big businesses make their decisions based almost entirely off of statistical data, it's not entirely that far-fetched of a concept to believe.

P.S. I do also believe that this thread deserves to be merged with the "OH NOES! THE SKY IS FALLING!" thread.